1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cast dental implant abutment which provides a mating interface between internally threaded cylinder-type dental implants and various attachments or abutments to be used in fixed and removable implant prosthodontics. The threading of the inventive device permits the interchanging of the various attachments when desired by doctor and/or patient thus providing total flexibility as to retention system options over the useful life of the implant(s).
2. Background Information
Threaded systems for intra-oral implants have a built-in imperativeness when angled abutments are necessary since they can only line up properly in the jaw for prosthetic application if they are pre-tried-in at the implant site and the position subsequently replicated by custom-casting the device and its individual threading configuration. Since cylinder-type implants must also be placed where anatomically there is adequate bone quantity in the ultimate direction of the implant, angulation can be haphazard and must often be redressed if reasonable final alignment, parellelism and esthetic-phonetic standards are to be upheld. The inventive cast dental implant abutment is the first universal device to permit such a threaded system to be easily redressed. It is also possible to fabricate the inventive device within cost-effective paramaters to permit widespread utilization.